Fuel-feeding device for locomotives



(No Model.)

' J. W. CLOUD.

FUEL PEEDING DEVICE FOB. LOGOMOTVBS.

m2892261' Patented Nov. 27, M383,

N PETERS. Phoiu'umomphr, wwdngwn. D. C

`eut improvements as applied thereto.

;llNrTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN wiLLs OLOUD, on ALTOONA, rnnNsYLvANIA..

FUEL-FEEDING DEVICE FOR lLOCOlVlOTli/ES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,226, dated November 27, 188?.

Application filed March 7, 1883. (No mothl.)

.To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN WV. CLOUD, of

`Altoona, county of Blair, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Fuel-Feeding Devices for Locomotives 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-like letters indicating like parts- Figure lis a longitudinal sectional view of a locomotive fire-box, illustrative of my pres- F ig. 2 is-a plan view of the fire-bed or gratefbars. Fig. 3 is a detached sectional view of the fuelfeeding mechanism, and Fig. et is atop or plan view thereof.

My present invention relates to `certain improvements in apparatus or devices for preparing fuel for use in a locomotive tire-box, for feeding the same into thefire, and for proinoting the combustion thereof. To these ends I make use of a hopper just outside the re door or feed-hole, the bottom of which hopper may be set or adjusted at an angle such that its slope or inclination shall facilitate or aid in feeding, but shall also have the capacity of holding or retaining the fuel in connection with a vertically-sliding or adjustable gate, by means of which latter the feed-opening may be enlarged or lessened at pleasure with rei"- crence to a slow feed, or may be shut down l form in cross-section.

when no feed at all is desired; and I also provide an improved construction of inclined shakinggrate, whereby to secure a practicallybackward ends-by which I mean the ends next the fuel-door B-are supported on a crossbar, c, and may be held in place thereon by a downwardlyibent hook or lug, c?, on the end of each bar, which hooks onto thebar c; or other suitable means for this purpose may be employed. rIhe opposite ends of the bars c rest on a rocking frame consisting of a transverse bearing-bar, b, supported at its ends by the arms b', and the latter are mounted on a pivotshaft, b2. the bearingbar b', so that one such projecting up between each two bars a c shall keep them at the proper distance apart. 0u account of t-he slope of the feed-bed thus formed, the tendency of the fuel will be to slide down the slope; but as I propose to feed entirely or chiefly at the upper end of the slope, I use the mechanism thus described as a shaking mechanism, so as to aid in the movement of the fuel as it is gradually consumed down the slope of the fire-bed, and also to keep the fire clean and bright by shaking out ashes, breaking up and removing the clinkers, Ste.

. As a means of effectingthe shaking, I conneet a crank-arm, a, to the pivotshaft b2, so that as such arm is vibrated,it will impart an oscillatory motion to the shakingframe b b b, and thereby raise and lower the ends of the gratebars c, which .rest thereon. Such vibratory motion may be communicatedtothe arm a by any suitable mechanism extending from the cab, as from alever, n', by connectingrods n? and bellcrank as, as illustrated partly by full and partly by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

VThen the fire-bed is to be entirely emptied or cleaned, the bolt or pin, which at n4 connects the vertical rod a? with the arm n, may be takenV out, and the shaking-frame may then drop down, so that the movable ends of the grate-bars c shall rest on the shaft be, which will leave ample room for cleaning or discharging the entire contents of the fire-bed.

The fuel receiving and feeding mechanism is arranged just outside the fuel-door B. It consists of a hopper, D, the ends of which are formed by the plates d d, and the bottom by a plate, d', which latter is hinged by a rod, e, to an angle-piece, d2, secured to the outside plates ofthe fire-box, or to the door-frame. The edges ofthe end plates, d, are bored, recessed, or slotted, as at c', so as to admit of the insertion of a bearing-rod, e, by which to support the outer edge of the plate d', and thereby hold it at any desired position of adjustment or inelination with reference to utilizing such slope or inclination to aid in or facilitate the feeding Spacing-collars a are arranged on ICO ` and otherwise waste heat of the fire within.

of the fuel deposited thereon through the door I nre-bed to and help to make the hottest part to the fire within; but still further to regulate this feed I use a vertically-sliding gate, g, which moves in grooves or ways g', made in or on the end plates, d, which gate may be lraised or lowered to any desired position of adjustment by means of a handle, 7L. In order to hold it in the position of adjustment desired, I attach to or make on its back face a rack, s, and just back of the rack,by means of a rod, of, pivot a pawl, s', in such positionthat the gate may be raised at pleasure by operating the handle h, and may be lowered by like means, after turning the pawl out of' engagement with the rack, which latter can be doneby the handle 1",- but other 'suitable known form of device for securing the gate at any desired point of adjustment, and which permits of' a change of adjustment, as may be desired, may be substituted for the rack and pawl.

This mechanism is devised, chiefly, for use with locomotives wherein soft or bituminous coal is employed as the fuel, though it maybe applied generally to all fire-boxes or furnaces of substantially the same class, and wherever a constant or nearly constant feed of fuel to the fire-box is desired.

In ordinary practical use the fireman will adjust his table or bottom plate, d', and his gate g so that they will feed'or facilitate feeding fast or slow, as may be desired. The fuel will then be shoveled into the hopper, and that portion of it next the fire-door will be rapidly heated, and if it remains long enough will be coked or partially coked by the radiated As the draft is uniformly inward, the smoke and gases given off from the fuel while in the hopper will be drawn into the fire-box and consumed. As fast as the fire needs replenishing, it will work forward through the door, or the fireman will push it through slowly and in small quantities at a time, or rapidly, as toccasion may require. The f'ucl so introduced will be deposited at the upper end of the firebed, and the generation of gases will be more gradual and continuous than when coalA is thrown upon the fire by the shovelful, as in the usual practice, thus enabling me to consume the gases and prevent the formation of smoke by the small but constant supply of air which enters'back off the sliding gate g, and by the variable supply which enters through the coal in the hopper. The gases given off will be most cffectually burned by the effect of the intense heat comingfrom below, and deflected back by the arch or roof plates m, and from which point, approaching a state of incandescence as it goes, it will by the shakingmechanism be gradually worked down the of the fire.

rlhe plate d, forming the bottom of' the hopper, may be fixed in place at a slight angle, if so desired, with good results; but I prefer to make it adjustable, as described.

I am aware that apparatus embodying, in more or less complicated forms, combinations of certain of the devices employed in the practice -of my invention has been heretofore known, instances being illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States and Great Britain, and I do not, therefore, broadly claim the combination of a furnace feed-hopper and means for the movement and adjustment of its bottom and end boundaries. So far, however, as my knowledge and information extends, the construction of such prior apparatus is not such as to render it of practical value in connection with the fire-box of a locomotive-engine, with a view to which application my improvements have been specially designed, and the same, as claimed, are limited to the specific novel combinations which I have devised for effecting such application in a practical and effective manner.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. The combination, with a fire-box, of a feed-hopper having an inclined bottom plate connect-ed to a bearing or support on the fireboX shell, below and adjacent to the door-opening thereof, a plate fitted to move vertically in the feed-hopper in front of said opening, and a locking device which is secured to a shaft pivoted to the shell, above the door-opening, and isadapted to engage the adjacent side of the vertical plate, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of' a fire-box, a feed-hopper connected thereto adjacent to its dooropening, a downwardly and forwardly inclined 1GO grate, the members of' which are alternately fixed and movable, and mechanism for raising and lowering the movable members of the grate, adapted to be actuated from a point adjacent to the feedhopper, substantially as set 105 forth.

3. rlhe combination ofl a fire-box, a grate compose'd of a series of' alternately-arranged fixed tubular bars and movable solid bars, an

oscillating frame located beneath and support- I IO ing one end of the series of movable bars, and an operating-lever located adjacent to the dooropening of the fire-box and connected to said oscillating frame, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my 1 I5 hand.

JOI-IhT VILLS CLOUD. lvitnesses:

ALFRED A. W'ELIsLn, 'PAUL KREUZPAINTNER. 

